DailyMile

Daily Mile is a cool little social site for all sorts of workouts. You can sync with Nike+ which is a plus, but no 'visual' view of your run. Manual inputs of workouts/runs can be done as well. This can also be synced with Facebook which is pretty cool. You can also 'share' challenges via email, weblink, Facebook, twitter, etc. Much easier than Nike+ for that. Viewing the challenges is a little easier too. The challenges are a LITTLE buggy from what I've seen so far. Joined a couple challenges where past runs for that month didn't show up. Kind of a downer for that.

Nike+ Sportsband

I find that Nike+ customer service is awesome! My wife and I pre-ordered and purchased the Nike+ Sportsband when it was first available. We both love it. She has never even used the Nano, just the sportsband. My sportsband's screen has been deteriorating for MONTHS! It's finally to a point where I can't see it any more. I thought it was just me being rough on things until I saw that Becky's had the same issue! I sent Nike an email (I purchased it from the Nike website), and they let me know that they are giving FULL refunds to anyone who purchased this. Obviously there was a defect with this product.

The new sportsband is supposed to be out in the comming weeks (Summer 2009). I'm checking to see if I can get a pre-order like I did last time, especially since I have always loved it! It costs $59, and my understanding is the new one will be the same price. If you purchase this, don't forget to calibrate it before you get to far into your runs. It does make a difference, and can be significant based on your stride.

Strands.com

Strands.com looks like another all encompassing site for your runs, workout, diet, etc. And although I say it's all encompassing, it seems fairly manual as well. You can load your Garmin runs, but you have to do it by file like some of the other sites I've mentioned. Not horrible, but I'd rather have a direct link. Not my kind of site, but I'm sure some people will love it. I'll take Dailyburn.com anyday over this one.

Nike+ Website

Good ol' Nike+. It's what helped me get interested in running. This site is all about Nike, don't let it fool you into something it's not. They recently made some BIG updates and 'improvements' that they are still working out the bugs on. Some of the improvements: Shareable profile view, link with Facebook, easier friend list.... One thing I still do NOT see is a calendar view like you have with Runnerplus.

The challenges and goals on this site is what got me interested... The website 'was' NikePlus and is now called NikeRunning.nike.com. I think what they've basically done was integrate Nikeplus into their Nikerunning site. Smart move I think, and you can get to your favorite Nike products from here! ;-) There are also some great articles, videos and tools on the Nikerunning site too.

I'm currently using both my Nike+ and my GPS device (I still need my music!). This really is a decent site, and seems to have gotten better!

Runner Plus

I love(d) Runnerplus.com. The guy (Chris) running this website is awesome. Unfortunately, Nike has made some updates to their environment, and Chris hasn't made any updates yet. I also have a GPS now, and it doesn't look like he'll be adding links to update your info on there. To bad though, because I really like his layout. With the latest update to Nike+, this site may now be obsolete.

If you are using Nike+ still, he does have a widget that can link your data directly into his site. An extra step, but no big deal really.

Daily Burn

My most used site, outside of running, is DailyBurn.com. I use this for tracking my food, how much water I've been drinking, works outs, etc. REALLY easy to use. I LOVE THIS SITE. It has really helped me control what and when I'm eating.

It was Gyminee. I like that they've changed their name. It felt weird telling someone to go to Gyminee, and of course there was the spelling. Dailyburn.com is a lot easier to say.

The only thing I DO wish they had was a link to my runs from Nike+ or my GPS. They don't seem to concerned about it, but their is chatter in the forums about it. I just add my run in here. Takes only a minute (a minute longer than I want to), and it is easy to do. I can track my other 'workout' in here as well.

trainingpeaks.com

Trainingpeaks.com was recommended by Garmin in their packaging. I think you can get a free week of 'Premium' by signing up with trainingpeaks.com/garmin. There is an agent you can load on your machine that you can upload the data with a push of a button and login with a push of a button... I don't find this site very useful for myself. No maps on it. Doesn't seem that user friendly.

mapmyrun.com

MapMyRun.com is a pretty busy site. Looks like it could be an all encompassing site. I have used this to create a 'course' and send to my Forerunner. Pretty easy to do, but it's done by files instead of a direct link to my device. Not ideal, but it works. New maps are all that I'm currently using this for. The 'free' account is kind of a pain sometimes because of the 'advertisements'.

Currently this is the easiest site to create maps for my Garmin because you can export the map you've created in *.tcx format.

Active.com

This is a fantastic site for registering for races.... At least, it's the only one I've used. Receipts and everything are kept their under your profile. A lot of other 'pay' features in here too, but the only thing I've found any use for is some good articles and registering for races. I do use it for that though. It appears a lot of races you either do manually or through this site.

RunningAhead.com

A little clunky, but not a bad little site. Easy to transfer data to it from your GPS. Still playing with it. I like that you can simply send your 'profile' link to somebody... You don't need to send each individual run.

Maps (Courses) can be created, but you can only save in *.GPX format. Most likely you would need to import into mapmyrun and then export into *.tcs format for the Garmin product, but I havne't played with that yet.

Connect.Garmin.com

Connect.garmin.com is pretty easy to link with your Forerunner. Not to much to it, once all the drivers and software was installed. Could get confusing for some people who are intimidated by installations. Get a friend who is 'not afraid' of the internet if you feel overwhelmed.

There isn't a lot to this site, other than storing your information and being able to send some back. You can't 'create' a workout or course from here, but you can see other 'activities' that people have uploaded. REALLY easy to share the information once it's loaded in here too. There is a direct link to Facebook, which I like, and you can get the URL (or web address) of the activity by sending an email (puts the link right in the email).

I do love the 'Player' feature which allows you to replay your run (or other activity). Speed it up or slow it down and see your speed, pace, heart rate, etc. on your run. Click 'HERE' for one of my favorite 'courses'. As long as I don't delete this from Garmin Connect, it will always be here...

Forerunner 305

I just purchased the Forerunner 305. I'll be reviewing it's pro's and con's. I already LOVE it when compared to my Nike+, but I'm currently still using both. It's just more accurate, so far. I did find an issue this morning on a walk from South Station to my office that it 'JUMPED' a block away and came back... Weird... My walking pace was almost at 6 min mile. I know that's wrong. I'm sure there is a way to currect an inconsistency like that, but I need to try and find it. Wish me luck and give me any inputs!